Short-term outcomes following hepatectomy for hepatocellular carcinoma within and beyond the BCLC guidelines: A prospective study

Background

Western guidelines recommend resection for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in so-called ideal cirrhotic patients with a Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) stage 0-A tumour. This study compares short-term outcomes following resection between patients defined as ideal and nonideal according to the BCLC guidelines.

Methods

This prospective single-centre open study (ClinicalTrials.govNCT02145013) included all cirrhotic patients with HCC referred for resection from 2014 to 2016. Mortality, morbidity, unresolved liver decompensation, and readmission were measured.

Results

The study population included 65 consecutive patients: 32 (49%) ideal and 33 (51%) nonideal. Ideal and nonideal groups did not differ in mortality (3% vs. 6%; p = 0.57), morbidity (53% vs. 73%; p = 0.10), or unresolved liver decompensation (6% vs. 15%; p = 0.23) at 90 days. The readmission rate was higher in the nonideal (21%) than in the ideal group (3%; p = 0.02).

Conclusion

Straying from the current guidelines for resection in a selected subset of nonideal patients doubled the number of resections performed for treating HCC, with satisfactory short-term outcomes. These results argue for the expansion of the acknowledged BCLC guidelines.